Updates

Click on the link above for the December 2018 Newsletter/ What’s Onfrom Edinburgh Community Voices and AdvoCard.

Please note that we are extending the deadline for responses for ourPeer Research Project on Experiences of Physical Health Care and Side Effects of Psychiatric Medication. This is to give more people the chance to take part. The new deadline is end of day Wednesday 12th December. For more information, see pages 1 and 2 of the newsletter.

We hope you find the Newsletter useful – it has updates on the AdvoCard Collective Advocacy projects and lots of information about support group meetings and other events in Edinburgh. If we have included information about your project or event, please check that we have printed the correct information…and let us know if we need to change anything.

Please get in touch if there is anything you would like us to include on a regular basis or if you would like to write something for a future edition.

The next main Edinburgh Community Voicesmeeting willtake place

on Wednesday 5 December

between 2pm and 4pm

at AdvoCard332 Leith Walk, EH6 5BR

free tea, coffee and biscuits and some good conversation

All welcome

Please note that the first Edinburgh Community Voicesmeeting in 2019 will be on Wednesday 9 January (as AdvoCard will be closed on Wednesday 2 January)

Edinburgh Community Voices meetings are open to anyone with lived experience of mental health issues. If you have not been to and Edinburgh Community Voices meeting before and would like to come along you can call or email to ask us about what we do at the meetings.

Here is the November 2018 Newsletter / What’s On from Edinburgh Community Voices and AdvoCard.

This month, on Page 2, you can read about our peer research looking at physical health care for people with current or lived experience of mental health issues…and side effects of psychiatric medications and how to contribute to this work.

We hope you find the Newsletter useful – it has updates on the AdvoCard Collective Advocacy projects and lots of information about support group meetings and other events in Edinburgh. If we have included information about your project or event, please check that we have printed the correct information…and let us know if we need to change anything.

Please get in touch if there is anything you would like us to include on a regular basis or if you would like to write something for a future edition.

We were very pleased that the “right to independent advocacy” was included in the new Scottish Social Security System. If you have used our Welfare Reform advocacy service (via Arlene or Devrim), you may wish to help shape the standards which will be written for advocacy in the new System. The Scottish Government is holding a series of focus group meetings. You can read more about these and book places by following the following link:

People often tell us about two important issues: experiences of physical health care when you have a mental health diagnosis or lived experience of mental health issues; and side effects of psychiatric medication

We are carrying out research to get these experiences down on paper, to identify any common issues and to gather your views about what needs to be done to improve the care people receive for their physical health issues and to address the issue of medication side effects.

The aim of this research isn’t to make a judgment about physical health care in Edinburgh or the pros and cons of medication. People have different views on these issues and what we want to do is represent those views.

Please note: this is for people who live in Edinburgh and who have lived experience of mental health issues or have used mental health services.

*This is peer research – that means that people with lived experience of mental health issues have planned the research, and we have two peer researchers who both have lived experience who are working with us to carry out the research.*

How to take part

We’ve found that it can be really powerful to be able to relate people’s experiences and views in their own words. We’ve put together two questionnaires (one for each issue) so that you can help us to do this.

You can fill in one of the questionnaires, or both, whichever is relevant for you. There are different ways that you can fill in the questionnaires:

Online

On your computer

By hand

With the help of one of the peer researchers or an AdvoCard worker

If you would like help to fill in your form, please let us know by the end of October so we can arrange a time to meet with you.

Here are the word document copies of the questionnaires (please click on the questionnaire that you want to download):

AdvoCard will be running our 8 week training course this September for potential Volunteer Advocacy Workers. This consists of 2 full Saturdays and 6 Wednesday evenings 6-9pm. We are looking for people with a non-judgmental attitude and an open mind. You need to have availability to attend appointments here with people at Leith Walk and also be available to conduct home visits across Edinburgh with people who are unable to leave their homes; home visits are always conducted with two volunteers. We also need volunteers to have availability a couple of times a week at least for between 2-4 hours per week (or more if possible.)

If you want to discuss things further, please phone Paul the Volunteer Coordinator at AdvoCard here on 0131 554 5307 and he will be happy to have a chat with you or you can pop in if you would prefer to arrange to see Paul here at Leith Walk.

We will be running the next course towards the end of September this year and we will be interviewing potential candidates over the next few weeks once we have enough candidates.

In 2015 – 2016 we ran a peer research project where we heard from people with lived experience of mental health issues about experiences they had had at the Emergency Departments at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) and St John’s Hospital, Livingston.

One of the issues that came up was that when you’re in distress or are feeling anxious, it can be difficult to communicate with the staff in the Emergency Department, for instance if you have any wishes, needs or other information that you want staff to listen to and take into account.

Together with the Emergency Department at RIE and the Navigator Project, we are developing a discreet card which you could keep in your wallet and fill in with things that you would want to get across to staff if you found yourself needing to go to the Emergency Department, to help you speak up, express your needs and wishes and be heard. You could hand it to the staff at the Emergency Department to read, or you could have it to look at it before you speak to staff so that you feel more confident.

We are holding a focus group meeting to get your views on the card and what it looks like – Thursday 19th July, 2 – 4pm at AdvoCard, 332 Leith Walk. This meeting is open to anyone who has lived experience of mental health issues.